Boy Meets World AfterStory: Shawn's life
by sea-sand-stars
Summary: this is set to where Shawn didn't go with Cory Topanga and Eric. He shows up in New York 12 years later, hoping for Cory to welcome him in, and to start a new life.
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

It was a nice autumn afternoon in New York City. It was Sunday, so most people were on their way home from church. It was busy as usual, but running smoothly like always. People hustling and bustling by with their hands shoved in their coat pockets, some wearing gloves, carrying some sort of coffee in their hands for their bosses or for themselves at work. Headphones were shoved into ears, trying to block out the busy sound of the city.

Most people knew where they were going, except for one individual. A man, a young fellow, was standing in the middle of the sidewalk. His long brown hair was tied up into a thick ponytail that hung over his shoulder. A small pink nose was sitting upon his face, looking rather cold. He looked up at the monstrous structures, trying to see if he could find the shop he was looking for. A woman shoved his body out of the way with her brute strength. "Watch where you're going!" she hissed.

The man apologetically smiled. 'Now,' he thought to himself. 'Where am I going to find,' He digs a note out of his pocket and looks at the name and address scribbled on the paper. 'Ranchers Café?' He looked out into the street and tried waving down a taxi. None stopped. He pulled his dark green coat into his body some more, hoping to achieve more warmth. Noticing other people actually shouting 'taxi', made him think. He stood on the very edge of the side walk and shouted with all his might, "TAXII!" A few people turned and looked at him in awe, being able to shout like that. One taxi driver heard his cry and came to an abrupt stop. The man ran up to it, jumping in the car and slamming the door shut. The taxi driver was a woman with a buff physique. She held her head down, but still had her eyes on the man.

"Well are you going to tell me where to go or not boy?" Her voice was nasally and rough. He nodded his head and pulled out the slip of paper with the address on it.

"Here," he said. "0158 Saint Richard."

The woman raised her eyebrows. "What's your name kid?" she asked.

He scooted over towards the door, to give him some space from the woman. "Shawn. Shawn Hunter." He said.

"Well, Shawn Hunter, I don't think you're going to need me." The woman pulled a cigarette out of her front pocket. She lit it and blew some smoke into Shawn's face. He cringed while waving the smoke away from his face. She looked at him and sternly said, "Get out." He tried to protest but the woman shooed him out of the taxi. He stood out of the car and roughly slammed the cab door.

"So rude," he said to himself. The woman drove off with dust flying. Shawn pulled his coat in closer to his body, holding his bag to his chest, sneering at the woman who just kicked him out. He was getting tired of the outside cold. Looking up at the giant building behind him, he ran into the building without thinking.

Walking into the building sent a warm rush over his body. "Oh my gosh, that feels good," he said to himself softly. He looked around the giant lobby. It was a completely white room with burgundy sofa. A giant chandelier hung over his head. The pieces of glass were clinking together from the gust of wind outside. Shawn slowly walked up to the front desk. The man who was sitting behind the desk looked up from reading his paper and noticed Shawn.

"Can I help you?" he had a fake rehearsed sound when he said that.

Shawn nodded his head and said, "Yes, I am looking for this address. I've never been to New York before so I don't know where everything is." He smiled, trying to give a good first impression.

The man behind the desk looked at him sternly drilling holes into Shawn's body with his stare. "Well," he started to say, "you want to go out the door, and to the very end of the street. Once you get there, you will see a stand for selling handbags. Go around the stand and you'll see The Ranchers Café."

Shawn nodded his head, agreeing with what the man said. "Thank you," he said. Shawn took back the slip of paper and left the building.

The cold air made Shawn shiver. People rushing by made it even colder. He walked down to the end of the street, looking for the stand with handbags all over the table. Instead of handbags, there was a stand with gloves and thermoses. An old Asian woman was standing behind the counter, sitting on a stool, counting money. Shawn pulled his coat in closer and made his way over to the stand. "Excuse me," he started to say.

The woman behind the table waved her hand, like she was shooing him away. "I don't have time for you, white boy, go away." She shifted in her seat, getting a few inches away from Shawn in the process.

"Look, ma'am, can you tell me where The Ranchers Café is?" The woman pointed behind her. "Thanks anyway." Shawn nodded his head while saying this, and walked down the sidewalk, passing the woman. He rolled his eyes thinking to himself how rude the woman was. He turned the corner, running into a man dressed in cowboy attire, carrying a giant bag of coffee beans. They collided and the bag went flying. The cowboy fell over, letting go of his large bag of coffee beans. Shawn stumbled back but didn't fall over. He catches the large bag of coffee beans before it is able to hit the ground. He trips over air and lands on his butt. The coffee beans were safe. "Are you okay," he asked the man that fell over.

The man stood up and grunted. "Yeah, I'm just glad those beans right there didn't burst open." Shawn smiled and handed the coffee beans back over to the older man. The man took the bag back before setting it gently on the ground. He then held his hand out to Shawn. "The name's Joseph," He said.

Shawn took his hand and shook it. "My name's Shawn." Before he forgot, Shawn pulled out the slip of paper from his pocket and showed it to Joseph. "Do you know where this is?" he asked.

Joseph studied the address before pointing up at a sign above their heads. "Rancher's café is right here, son," he said with a smile. Shawn said thank you and ran inside. 'That was a very nice young man,' Joseph thought to himself.

Shawn looked at the coffee shop door, and saw a 'closed' sign. 'Well great,' he thought to himself. He leaned on the door, not expecting it to open, but it nudged far enough in for Shawn to see that he could get in. Shawn pulled the door open and strutted inside. The smell of freshly brewed coffee whipped into his lungs. The place was a tiny café shop with country decoration all over the place. He could hear soft country music playing softly over the room. A small bar with a wall of glass behind it was separating the coffee shop from the kitchen. A deep burgundy red curtain was covering the glass wall, but it was thin fabric so he could see shadows of the pots and pans hanging from the ceiling. No one was in sight though. "Hello," he said. After saying that, he heard the clanking of dishes and pots coming from behind the bar. He cleared his throat and spoke louder. "I'm looking for a Cory Matthews!" More clanking of dishes followed his sentence.

"Hey boss!" someone shouted, "I think there's a guy out there who wants to see you!" Shawn could pick out shadows moving behind the wall of glass. A door from the back of the shop opened sending a bright light into the rest of the room.

An average sized man stepped out of the back of the shop, holding a pink dish towel. "What is it," he said sternly.

Shawn cleared his throat. 'He doesn't recognize me,' he thought to himself. "Hi Cory," Shawn said out loud. The man looked up from his hands and looked at Shawn in the eyes.

"Shawn?" the man said. Shawn smiled.

"Hey Cor," said Shawn. The man let the pink towel slip out of his grip, landing on the ground with a soft thud. The two guys stood, looking at each other for a full minute. Cory rolled his shoulders back and bent down to pick up the towel.

"Hi Shawn," He said. It was very calm and conceited-like. "You finally decide to show up huh?" Cory disappeared into the back of the shop before Shawn could process what just happened. Shawn's jaw dropped and he marched himself into the back of the shop.

"What do you mean I finally decide to show up!?" Shawn slammed the door in, almost breaking the glass. Cory turned around and faced him with an expressionless face.

He threw the towel onto the counter top dramatically and said, "I said what I said, you finally decide to show up. That's all." Cory's co-worker slipped out of the back door, deciding to leave them alone. Cory gave a fake smile to Shawn, who didn't accept it. "Look, Shawn, buddy, I'm not angry. I just wished that you would've at least kept some sort of contact with Topanga, Eric, and I." They both stare at each other, not saying anything. Shawn threw his hands up and left the kitchen. Cory rolled his eyes and followed him out.

"Cory, if I made any sort of contact with you, I wouldn't have stopped. I probably would've called you every day, 24/7, not ever letting you alone." Shawn threw the door open and stepped out into the freezing cold. He shivered and quickly ran back inside of the shop. "God, it's cold!" he said. Cory held the door open for him while he came back inside. He grabbed Shawn by the jacket and spun him around to face him. Shawn's hair hit Cory in the face turning around. They both stopped, and burst out into laughter. Cory brushed imaginary hair out of his face and pushed Shawn playfully on the shoulder. "We can't stay mad at each other, can we," Shawn said.

Cory ran a hand through his hair and slapped Shawn playfully on the back. "No Shawn we can't. By the way, what brought you here to New York anyway?"

Shawn smiled and pointed at Cory. "You did," he said. Cory took a seat at the nearest table.

He pulled Shawn down with him. "How could I have brought you to New York?"

Shawn shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well, I looked up your location. I heard you had your own shop, but I didn't expect you to have a coffee shop." He crossed his legs, and threw his hair over his shoulder. He set his bag carefully on the ground beside him. Cory chuckled at Shawn. "How is Topanga doing," Shawn asks.

Cory threw his hands up with a frown. "I really have no clue. She's always so busy. The only time I actually see her is if she comes in here for coffee, or she comes home to get paperwork."

Shawn smiles and pulls his coat off. Cory shoots up and takes his coat for him, hanging it by the door on a hook. "Thank you my good man," Shawn says with a laugh. Cory bows.

"WELL LOOK AT WHAT THE CAT DRUG IN! IT'S SHAWN HUNTER!" They both look to the door, but see no one. "Over here!" the person shouted. They both whirl around to see Eric. Shawn burst into laughter and stood up to hug Eric. Instead, Eric ran over to Cory and Shawn, making his shoes squeak on the floor.

"I just mopped an hour ago Eric, now I gotta do it again." Cory slumped in his seat with irritation. Shawn laughs at him, remembering how Cory gets OCD about the smallest things.

"Oh come on bro," said Eric, "it's enough that I work for you I'll just do them in the morning." Eric looked Shawn up and down, trying to find some sort of flaw. He then noticed Shawn's hair. "Good lord your hair! You look like a hippie." Eric snatched up Shawn's hair and ran his fingers through the ponytail.

Shawn chuckled and said, "I should say the same to you. You're hair grew back."

Eric ran a hand through his locks and said, "I know, isn't it beautiful?" Averting his attention back to Shawn's own hair, he said, "It seems a kid like you wouldn't have the time to take care of a weave like that."

"Well, lately I have been too busy to get a haircut," said Shawn. "I forgot to tell you Cory, but I guess I can tell you now." Cory cocked his head to the side. Shawn took in a deep breath. "…..I've created my own company."

Cory smiled. "Well I'm proud of you Shawnee. What kind of company is it?" Shawn pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Cory.

"It's a photography company. For school pictures, sport shots, family Christmas photos, anything." He sits on top of the small table, but Cory gives him a look that says , 'Get your butt off that table.' Shawn smiles and gets himself more comfortable on the table.

Eric snatches the card from Cory's fingers with a flick of a wrist. "White Tiger Photography Line?" he says. Shawn nods his head yes. "Well, I think we should go and get something to eat. Possibly saying that we're glad to have Shawn here, right Cory?"

Cory shakes his head no and states, "I can't. Topanga is going to come home early today. We planned to take Nathan out to dinner with us." Shawn raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Who's Nathan ?" Shawn asks. Cory's jaw dropped.

"I can't believe I forgot to tell you about Nathan . Nathan 's my son." Cory grabbed Shawn's shoulder in disbelief. 'I can't believe I forgot to tell him about Nathan .' Shawn's jaw dropped also. "I can't believe I didn't tell you sooner. I'm so sorry."

"You have a kid?" Shawn asks. Cory shook his head yes. "You can't have a kid. You're not old enough to have a kid." Cory chuckled at what Shawn was saying. "You're making me feel old."

"Oh stop it," said Cory. "He's not as old as you think he is. He's only 3 years old." Shawn slumped in his seat. Between him and Cory, Shawn couldn't believe Cory had a kid before him.

"Does Topanga know?" Shawn asked. Cory frowned at his stupid question.

"Does Topanga know, of course Topanga knows! She's the one who gave birth to the little sucker." He leaned over to Shawn while putting a hand on his shoulder. "Shawn, I don't understand why you're overreacting to this."

Shawn grabbed Cory's hand and replied with, "I'm overreacting because you're a father." Cory furrowed his brows in confusion while pulling his hand away from Shawn.

"Well, I'm going to leave you two love birds alone. Cory I'll see you at the house okay?" Eric left the shop quietly after saying that. Shawn and Cory both stare at each other for a full minute without saying a word. Shawn's blue eyes stared deep into Cory's brown eyes, studying his soul with anticipation.

"Look, I can drop the subject if you want to okay?" Shawn stood up to go get his coat while saying this. Cory shot up out of his seat and grabbed Shawn's coat before Shawn could say anything. "Give me my coat," Shawn protested.

"No. I will not give you your coat." Cory puffed up like a balloon. Shawn was now getting irritated. He tried to snatch the coat out of Cory's grip, but Cory slung the coat in a different direction.

"Hey, stop, my phone's in there," Shawn said. Cory stuck his tongue out at Shawn. Shawn weakly smiled. "Please stop it Cor." He got hold of the end of his coat, so he tugged on it, trying to pull it out of Cory's grip. Cory's grip just grew stronger. Shawn gave up and let go of the coat. It sent Cory falling back onto his butt. He landed with a thud. They both stand there in silence for a split second before they burst into laughter.

"Ow, that hurt," said Cory who was standing up from his fall. He rubbed his hip, like an old man, trying to get sympathy from Shawn.

"Oh you poor baby," Shawn said sarcastically. They both laugh. Shawn picked up his coat from the ground and slipped it on. He bent over while picking up his bag and slipping it across his torso. He headed for the door.

"Are you leaving?" Cory asked. Shawn shook his head 'yes'.

"I gotta go find a place to stay," Shawn said with a turn to the door. Before he opened the door, he turned around to face Cory. "Do you know of any vacant office buildings?"

Cory thought a moment before replying with, "Actually, there's a vacant store right above this shop. In the back of the store, there is an elevator that leads up to the room." Shawn looked at the back of the shop where the restrooms were, noticing where the elevator doors were. "Please don't leave just yet," Cory pleaded. Shawn popped his hip to the side and thought for a few seconds.

"Fine Cory, I'll stay for tonight," he said. Cory did a little happy dance slash jump in the air.

"Yay, yay! We have an empty room for you at our place so you can stay as long as you want! We'll cook you breakfast, I'll feed you lunch, I'll feed you dinner," Cory rambled on and on about the things he'd do for Shawn.

"Cory, Cory, hold on. How will Topanga feel about me staying at your house?" Shawn grabbed Cory by the shoulders and shook him to stop rambling on.

"What?" asked Cory.

Shawn rolled his eyes and repeated himself. "How, will, Topanga, feel, about, me, staying, at, your, house?"

Cory smiled mischievously and said, "She'll just adore you." He threw his apron off onto the floor dramatically and grabbed his coat off the rack. "Come on, I'll show your our apartment," he said to Shawn. Shawn rolled his eyes before shrugging his shoulders. He fixes his coat and walks out the door. Cory follows behind him after locking the front door. Cory pointed up to the building down the street where you were able to see giant apartment complexes. "If you look up at the building with the giant German flag hanging from it, right underneath the flag is our home."

Shawn looked at the German flag, then down right below it. He spotted the supposed to be Cory and Topanga's home. "Why is there a German flag?" Shawn asked.

Cory replied with, "The owners of the complex are German. They love to show off their culture during the cold seasons." Shawn shook his head 'yes' in agreement. Cory nudged his shoulder and said, "Before we go, we need to go pick up Nathan at the church day care."

"Alright," said Shawn. They wave down a taxi and hop in. "Where is the church?" asked Shawn.

Cory shrugged his shoulders while saying, "I don't know. I have the address on my phone." He pulled his phone out and flipped through the notes. He leaned up to the taxi driver and said, "Umm 1589 Georgia Road please."

"You got it honey." The taxi driver said. Shawn's attention quickly shot to the driver of the taxi. He looked in the little mirror, and saw that it was the same woman who kicked him out earlier. They make accidental eye contact. He sucks his breath in, hoping that she wouldn't notice him. "Well well well, if it isn't the infamous Shawn Hunter." He lets loose of the breath he was holding in, since he was discovered.

Cory looks over at Shawn, then at the driver. "You know each other?" he asks. The woman shakes her head yes without saying anything, but gives a wink to Shawn. Shawn slightly blushes. Cory notices that Shawn's cheeks were a little red. 'Maybe it's just the cold,' he thought to himself with a smile.

They arrive at this little tiny church right outside of New York. It was a dirty yellow color with a white steeple. The steps leading up to the front doors were worn out and rotting. The gravel surrounding the church gave a more old feeling to it as well. Shawn steps out of the taxi, admiring the church. It had a certain, delicate look to it. He couldn't resist. He wiped out his camera from his bag and bent down on one knee. He angled his arm, adjusted the lenses, held the button down gently, snap! He took a picture of the church with ease. Cory pays the taxi driver and looks at Shawn who was getting ready to take another picture. He playfully rolls his eyes at Shawn.

"Are they any good?" Cory asks. Shawn jumped a little, not expecting Cory to be right behind him.

"Is what any good?" Shawn asks.

Cory points to his camera while saying, "Are the pictures any good?" Shawn opens his mouth and nods his head, as if he understood what Cory asked.

"Yes, the pictures are very good." Shawn says. He stands up and walks over to the side of the church. He takes another shot, where the sun was streaming through the stain glass windows of the church, and the left over rain from the day before glistened off the medal piping outside the church. "Gosh this church is beautiful," Shawn says while shoving his camera carefully back into his bag.

"I know," Cory says in reply. "This is where our mom and dad eloped." Shawn looked over at Cory, who was admiring the church also. He almost had a hurt look in his eye.

Shawn shoves Cory a little to get him out of the trance. "Come on," he says. "Let's go get Nathan from day care." Cory looks at him and nods his head.

They walk up the steps to the church and step in. The church was even more beautiful on the inside. Stain glass windows surrounded the church walls. Shawn looked up at the pulpit, and saw the organ. It took his breath away. The keyboard was a small little horizontal strip of black and white lines, while most of what you saw was giant thick pipes reaching up to the ceiling. There were trumpet shaped ones at the very top, as if they were pointing to the heavens. Smaller, skinnier pipes were at the bottom closest to the keyboard. Shawn couldn't get his camera out fast enough. He finally pulled out his camera and took thousands of pictures. Cory rolled his eyes at Shawn. "Why does everyone do that?"

Shawn looks over at him and says, "What?"

Cory waves his arms around the room while saying, "They always take pictures of this place."

Shawn's eyes grew wide. "This place is beautiful; of course people should take pictures."

"Hey, Shawn, I'm going to go get Nathan so I'll be right back." Cory patted Shawn's back while disappearing to the back of the church. When Cory shut the door, a small cloud of dust surrounded the framing of the door. The sun caught the dust particles, lighting them up like tiny little lights floating everywhere. Shawn took a seat at the very front of the church, wanting to get a closer look at the pulpit.

"I never knew a church could look this beautiful," Shawn said to himself. He leaned back into the pew, while taking a big, deep breath. He started to hear little kids talking and screaming. It was coming from the door that Cory disappeared into. 'What would've it been like if me and Angela…' he said to himself. He didn't finish the sentence since it might bring back unwanted memories. Shawn shook his head 'no' after thinking about Angela. He pulled the band out of his hair and shook his head back and forth, trying to buy the time. He made a messy bun and slipped the band back over his hair. 'It's taking Cory a long time, isn't it?' he thought to himself. A few seconds after he said that, the door opened as Cory and a small blond headed boy come out.

"Shawn, this is Nathan. Nathan, this is Shawn, "Cory said to the boy. The boy cowered behind Cory's leg. Shawn chuckled a little bit before Cory pried Nathan off while scooping him up in one swift motion. Nathan squirmed and complained.

"Daddy, stop it!" Nathan shouted. He flew his arms around and grabbed onto Cory's curly hair.

"Hey, you stop it," Cory said while setting him down. Nathan looked at Shawn while cowering behind Cory's leg. "Nathan, this is Shawn, your second uncle." Cory scooped up Nathan to his hip while making his way over to Shawn. Nathan looked Shawn up and down before handing out a hand to him.

"Nice to meet you," he said shyly. Shawn was taken back at the boys politeness.

"Well nice to meet you to Mr. Nathan," said Shawn. Nathan weakly smiled and launched himself onto Shawn's neck.

"I knew it! I knew it! You're not as stupid as Uncle Eric," Nathan screamed. Shawn looked at Cory before busting into laughter.

They walk back out to the taxi and hop into the car. "Took you long enough. I almost left," said the taxi driver. Nathan stuck his tongue out at the driver, as if he was scolding her. She herself stuck her long tongue out back at Nathan. Nathan gleamed with satisfaction while they took off back home.

"Dad, when is mom getting home?" Nathan asked while stretching his body across Shawn's lap.

Cory shrugged his shoulders and said, "I don't know Nathan. Mom might get home late again." Nathan slumped down while turning his head into Shawn's chest. Cory pointed at Nathan and said to Shawn, "Do you want me to take him for you?"

Shawn thought for a second and replied with, "No, it's fine. He looks pretty comfortable." He looked down at the kid who was now slowly falling asleep. 'Why can't I have one?' Shawn thought sarcastically to himself.

Nathan was asleep by the time they got back into New York City. He had his torso spread across Shawn while his legs were propped up against Cory's shoulder. Shawn tried to lay Nathan into Cory's lap, but Nathan would protest if his body moved. Nathan groaned and wined if Shawn moved his arms a specific way and he would kick into Cory's shoulder if Shawn tried to turn his body around.

"Why is he so grouchy," asked Shawn to Cory.

Cory shook his head and said, "He gets it from Topanga, not me." Shawn opened his mouth while shaking his head, agreeing with what Cory said. Cory looked down at Nathan while brushing some blond hairs from the boy's face. Shawn grabbed hold of his own hair and felt it.

"Should I get a haircut?" Shawn asked. Cory looked at Shawn who was holding out his hair. Cory reached over while grabbing the end of Shawn's ponytail. He felt it and nodded his head.

"You should get a haircut," Cory said. "It could get caught in something." Shawn laughed, but not loud enough to wake Nathan.

"How did this happen?" Shawn asks. Cory raises an eyebrow in confusion. Shawn pointed down at Nathan while looking at Cory.

Cory raised his eyebrows, understanding what he asked. "Well, Shawn, when a woman loves a man, and vice versa,"

Shawn glared at Cory while saying, "I know that part. What I'm asking is why did you and Topanga decide to go through it?"

Cory pushed some hair out of Nathan while saying, "Well, Topanga and I thought long and hard about it, and decided that we were financially ready, so we made him." They both look at him and notice that he was arousing from his nap.

Nathan groaned and stretched out. "Are we home yet?" he asks tiredly.

Cory rubs Nathans thigh and says, "No, not yet. We're passing by Time Square right now." Nathan moans while looking out the window. He immediately wakes up from the giant neon sings shinning into his face. He touches the window, almost as if he was trying to touch the signs. Shawn noticed him touching the glass, so he rolled down the window for Nathan to get a layer closer to the signs.

Shawn pointed up to the sign that was advertising Broadway shows. The show that was posted was one of his favorite musicals, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. "Have you ever seen a Broadway show before, Nathan?"

Nathan turned to face him while shaking his head yes enthusiastically. "I saw Wicked last year. It was fun!" Shawn smiled back at him while averting his attention back to the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang billboard.

"When I was your age, I remember your dad and grandparents took me to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It was the best show ever." Shawn watched Nathan smile up at the billboard. He looked over at Cory who was smiling at them both.

"Would you like to go see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sometime soon?" Cory asked.

Nathan turned around and asked, "Can I dad? Really, can I?" Cory shook his head yes while scruffing his hair up. Nathan smiled while playfully pushing Cory's hand away from him.

"How old are you Nathan," Shawn asked. Nathan held up his hand. "You're 5?" he asked.

"Yea," Nathan said. He smiled at Shawn while falling back onto Shawn's chest.

"Don't fall asleep yet Nathan, were almost home." Nathan wined and looked up at Shawn. He gave Shawn the puppy dog eyes, as if he was begging Shawn to let him fall asleep for a little while.

Shawn laughed at Nathan and asked Cory, "Just let him take another nap, okay?" Cory glared at Shawn for defending Nathan.

"Alright, just don't fall completely asleep before we get home," Cory said. Nathan smiled and fell back onto Shawn.

"Isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen?" Shawn asked Cory sarcastically.

Cory replied with a sarcastic remark. "Just adorable."


	2. Chapter 2

Ch 2

They get back to the apartment complex with ease. Even though it was New York City, Shawn noticed that it wasn't as crowded as the media portrayed it to be. The taxi pulled up to the front of the complex, and put it in park. The taxi driver held out her hand, expecting pay. Cory rummaged in his pocket while pulling out the amount of money he owed her. He handed it over while Shawn stepped out of the car, carrying Nathan in his arms. Nathan was slightly snoring.

"This kid is heavy. What do you feed him?" Shawn said sarcastically.

Cory chuckled while saying, "I try to feed him a balanced meal every day. Topanga does the same when she's home."

They all get inside from the bitter cold. Cory held the door open for Shawn since he was carrying Nathan. Shawn mouthed 'Thank you'. They got inside and started to walk down the corridor. Cory nudged Shawn, getting his attention. He held his arms out as if asking Shawn if he wanted Cory to take Nathan for him. Shawn shook his head 'no' while tossing Nathan up slightly to get a better grip on holding him.

Cory put his arms down while saying, "Alright, suit yourself." He pulled the room key out of his back pocket. He headed for the elevator down the long corridor. Shawn shifted his weight on his right leg while trying to get a better hold on Nathan. Cory noticed him struggling, so he quickly walked over to Shawn and took Nathan from him.

"I can carry my own son, Shawn," Cory said. He had Nathan in a position, making the small child look like a monkey hanging over Cory's torso. Walking down to the elevator, Cory and Shawn spotted a woman who was also going for the elevator. They quickly walked towards the old woman, hoping to get in the elevator before her. She quickly scurried her way to the door, pushing the button, and entering into the elevator. Shawn sighed, standing in front of the now escalating elevator.

They stand there for a few seconds before another elevator came down, letting them in. Cory held Nathan with one arm while pushing one of the middle buttons. He put his hand onto Nathans back while he waited for the elevator to stop.

Shawn decided to break the silence so he brought up a question. "Do you do this every day?"

Cory wasn't paying attention. He almost had a worried look on his face. Shawn noticed so he lightly pushed Cory. He awoke from his daze while saying, "What?"

Shawn looked down at Nathan, then back up at Cory. "Are you okay?" he asks.

Cory shook his head 'yes' while looking back up at the dial, pointing to which floor they were on.

Shawn tried to change the subject, so he brought up an old question. "Do you do this every day?"

Cory nods his head 'yes' while smiling. "Yep, I do this every day. And I will do it every day until I can get Eric to do it. It takes up too much time to drive out there."

Shawn nods his head, understanding what he means. "Can't you just find a day care closer to your work area?" he asks.

Cory shakes his head 'no' while responding with, "I can't. It's too expensive." Shawn shook his head in agreement. Standing there in silence was awkward for Shawn and Cory. Shawn couldn't stop thinking about the twelve years he's been without Cory.

'This must be very inconvenient for him,' Shawn thought to himself. He looked at Cory, who had bags under his eyes. 'Taking care of a five year old is crazy. I don't see how he does it.' Shawn kept thinking about how crazy it was to have a kid. He always wanted to have a wife, kid, maybe even a Cocker Spaniel and a Siamese cat.

The elevator dinged, telling them that it arrived at its destination. Cory stepped out first, quickly walking down the hallway to his home. Shawn caught up with him slowly, and tried to get him attention. "What are you doing?" he asked.

Cory motioned his head to Nathan while breathily saying, "He just had an asthma attack in the elevator." Shawn's eyes grew wide when hearing this.

"What room are you?" he asked.

Cory threw him the key from his hand while saying, "749." Shawn dashed down the hallway, searching for room 749. He found it at the very back right before the hallway turned to go down another hallway of rooms. Shawn pushed the key into the door while turning the knob, opening the door into the apartment. He waited for Cory to catch up to him before he did anything else. Cory quickly walked into the room with anticipation and ran to the back of the apartment. Shawn got the key and shut the door.

Looking around the apartment, Shawn could see toys scattered over the floor, a few dirty dishes in the sink, and giant stairs that led to the upper part of the complex. He took a seat on the couch, facing the giant glass wall that looked out to New York. "Such a view," he said to himself.

While waiting for Cory to help Nathan, Shawn tried to pick out different places he could see from the view. The sun was causing a glare on the glass so Shawn had a hard time seeing. He noticed a balcony so he looked for a sliding glass door. He found one to the left of the room, by the stairs. He stood up and walked over to the door. Stepping out into the sunlight made Shawn squint his eyes. A little brown mat was laying on the ground right at Shawn's feet. He playfully wiped his shoes on the rug and stepped out onto the balcony. He took in a deep breath of fresh air. Even though Shawn could still the sounds of New York, it was relaxing. He put his hands on the railing, winding his fingers around the bar.

"Crap!" someone screamed. Shawn looked over to his right to see a woman losing her grip around a flower pot, causing it to drop to the city below. Both of them watched it drop to the street, hearing a faint cracking sound. She looked up to notice Shawn.

"Are you alright ma'am?" Shawn asked. The woman quickly stood up, almost as if she were embarrassed. She pushed her long blond hair back behind her ear, as if she were composing herself.

"I'm perfectly fine thank you," she said calmly. Her green eyes were shaking back and forth. Shawn leaned over the railing, trying to get closer.

"You don't seem so fine," he said, trying to calm her down. She waved her hands back and forth, trying to send Shawn away. He looked her up and down, trying to get a mental image of her before leaving.

She had long curly blond hair, coming to a little bit above her waist. She had a few bracelets up and down her arms. A red shirt hung over her torso, covered in dirt and paint stains. Her jeans had a few holes in them from being worn out. She was also wearing old plastic flip flops.

"Do you like to stare at people or what?" she said. Shawn snapped out of his trance and looked at her straight in the eye.

"What kind of plant was that?" he asks.

She runs a hand through her hair and said, "It was a poinsettia. I just got it a few days ago." Shawn nodded his head in agreement. He whirled around to look back into the apartment. He saw Cory sitting on the couch with his head in his hands.

Shawn looked back at the girl who was still looking at him. "I gotta go. Sorry about your plant." He said. The girl raised her eyebrows at him. He ran inside and took a seat beside Cory. "How is he?" he asked.

Cory touched his shoulder and said, "He's fine, it was a minor scare." He leaned into the couch, almost as if he wanted to sink in and never come out. Shawn grabbed Cory's shoulder and rubbed it. "It's so much. I can't wait till he's older."

"What will happen when he's older?" Shawn asked.

Cory sat up to explain to him what he meant. "The doctor says that once he's older, the asthma will start to go away. Around the age of 13 is when it should be completely gone."

Shawn nodded his head in agreement. "Was he prematurely born?" he asked.

Cory shook his head 'yes'. "I'll just be happy once he gets over it."

About an hour of waiting passed. Shawn pulled out some Tinker Toys he found under the couch and played with them while Cory watched the news. He built a small little cannon and ran it into Cory's foot.  
"What?" Cory said while looking down at Shawn's creation. Shawn had his legs spread out across the floor.

"You okay Cory?" Shawn asks, trying to be sympathetic. Cory shook his head 'yes' while looking back up at the television.

Shawn heard rattling coming from the front of the house. He stood up and walked towards the front door. Noticing that the handle was jiggling back and forth, Shawn touched it slightly while standing really close to the door. The door flew open, causing the handle to run straight into Shawn's gut. "Ow," he said louder than intended. The person who opened the door looked around at Shawn and made eye contact. "Topanga," Shawn said, trying to sound surprised.

"Shawn," Topanga said, trying to sound surprised as well. "What are you doing here?"

Shawn through his hands up while saying, "I'm moving in to the big city." Topanga walked right passed Shawn going straight for Cory.

"Why is Shawn here?" she whispered. Cory looked up at her and smiled.

"You're home early," he said. Topanga rolled her eyes and pulled out her iPhone.

"Of course I came home early, you sent me a text telling me that Nathan was sick!" she said loudly, but not loud enough to wake Nathan. Cory pulled her down onto the couch to explain why Shawn was there.

"Shawn's here because he's opening up his new photography business, isn't that nice?" Cory said. His tone of voice was telling Topanga that she needed to be happy and supportive for Shawn.

Topanga looked back at Shawn who was still rubbing his stomach. She looked back at Cory with a concerned look. "Is he staying here?" she asked.

Cory held up his hand while saying, "Only until he finds another place to stay. He's setting up his studio right above my shop." Topanga groaned silently.

"I can find somewhere else to stay if you don't want me to stay here, Topanga." Shawn said while sitting on the other side of Cory.

She waved her hand 'no' while saying, "No, no Shawn you don't have to do that. I'm just more shocked than anything right now." She ran a hand through her hair while standing up to go get Nathan. "I'm going to go get Nathan, and we're all going to go out somewhere to eat." Topanga smiled and walked down the hallway to Nathans room.

"At least she's not mad at you," Cory said to Shawn. Shawn stood up and paced on the rug. "What's wrong?" Cory asks.

Shawn looked up at the ceiling while asking Cory, "Are you sure I'm not barging in on you three?" Cory raised his eyebrows in confusion.

Realizing what Shawn said, Cory stood up and confronted Shawn. "Of course you're not barging in on us. Yeah it's a little inconvenient but it's fine."

Shawn shrugged his shoulders accepting what Cory said. He crouched down and picked up the mess he made with the tinker toys. While tearing the cannon apart, he saw tiny feet standing in front of him. He looked up to notice Nathan. He was still wearing his day clothes.

"What did you make?" Nathan asks.

Shawn sighs while saying, "I made a tiny cannon." Nathan nods his head in agreement. His socks scuff against the rug while he walks over to Cory.

"Are we still going somewhere to eat?" he asks. Cory shrugged his shoulders while pointing at Topanga who was standing in the doorway of the hall.

"Go ask your mom," Cory says. Nathan spontaneously ran over to Topanga.

"Mommy, can we go out somewhere to eat?" he asks. He gave her the innocent puppy dog look. She leaned down to Nathans eye level and smiled.

"Of course we can go somewhere to eat." She said. Nathan's face lit up with excitement. He ran over to Shawn and tugged on his jacket sleeve.

"Can he come to?" he asks. Topanga looks at Cory. Cory looks at Shawn. Shawn looks down at Nathan then at Topanga.

"If it's okay with you Topanga, then I'll come. I can go somewhere else if you want me to." Topanga waved her hands 'no'. Shawn dropped his shoulders thinking that she really will say 'no'.

"No, Shawn, you don't have to go somewhere else. You can come with us." She said. Shawn smiled.

"So, where are we going?" he said excitedly.

They all looked up at the sign. "Sushi Yasu?" Shawn said puzzled. Nathan looked up at the sign, dumbfounded. Topanga smiled at Cory. Cory tried smiling, but it came out as a crooked look on his face.

"You don't like it," Topanga said, kind of hurt.

Cory shook his head 'no' while saying, "No, honey, I like it, it's just I've never been here before." Hearing someone laugh, Topanga and Cory looked over at Shawn who was holding Nathans hand. Nathan was jumping up and down.

"Sushiii!" he yelled. Pulling Shawn with him, Nathan disappeared into the restaurant without hesitation.

"Nathan!" Topanga scolded. Cory touched her shoulder getting her attention.

"Let him have some fun," he said. Topanga dropped her shoulders in surrender and weakly smiled at Cory.

"I just don't want him to become too rowdy." She said.

Cory smiled while throwing his arm around Topanga's shoulders. "He won't. Let him have some fun with Shawn just in case…..something happens." Topanga looks up at Cory, understanding what he said, and walked into the restaurant.

They spotted Shawn and Nathan at the bar, playing with their chop sticks. Shawn stuck his up into his nose while making walrus sounds. Nathan thought it was the funniest thing in the world. Noticing that there was nobody else in the restaurant, Shawn decided to pull another table to connect the two tiny tables together. Cory looked over at Topanga, noticing the concerned look on her face. He leaned over to her while saying under his breath, "If he does leave, I'm pretty sure Nathan won't be that attached to him." Topanga looked up at him. She didn't like what he said.

She leaned over to Cory and said, "He will get attached to him, and he wouldn't want Shawn to leave."

"Mommy!" Nathan screamed. Topanga looked over to Nathan to see him waving her down. She left Cory by the door to go to Nathan.

"What honey," she said. Nathan showed her the menu and pointed at a soup dish.

"Can I have that one?" he asked. She ruffled Nathan's hair while smiling.

"Of course you can." She said. "Cory," Topanga got Cory's attention to get him to come to the table. He sat down beside Shawn while Topanga took a seat next to Nathan.

A man with a white chef outfit came out from the back of the restaurant. He had an Asian-American look to his face. "Hello," he said. "Are you ready to order, or do you still need to think over the menu?"

Shawn held up his hand, ready to order. The waiter looked at Shawn, waiting for his order.

"I'm going to order separate from them. I would like, a sushi platter with some extra soy sauce." The waiter nodded his head while taking Shawn's menu for him.

"I will get that right away sir." He looked at Topanga who was ready for her order. "And for you ma'am?"

She smiled while answering with, "Yes, I'll have the Omakase." The waiter nodded his head while averting his attention to Cory. He was still looking at his menu. Topanga nudged him to get his attention. He looked up and noticed the man waiting for his order.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm not ready to order." He smiled sheepishly at the waiter.

The man smiled and said, "That's alright sir, once I get the drinks, I'll ask then." The man disappeared into the back of the restaurant. All of a sudden, he then started to shout in Japanese. Nathan giggled while Shawn snickered.

Cory leaned over to Topanga and asked. "Should I add sushi to my menu?" She looked back at him, giving him the stink face.

"Do you realize how bad that place would smell if you had raw fish in there?" she said quietly, thinking that the man could hear what she says. Cory playfully holds his nose and makes the stink face as well. Nathan looked over to Cory and giggled some more.

A thought came to Nathan so he brought it up since his mother was there. "When are we going to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang?" Topanga raised her eyebrows, confused at his question.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Nathan spread his arms out really far, exaggerating the size of the billboard. "There was this huuugge sign with it on. It's going to be on Broadway!" Topanga shook her head 'yes' agreeing with him.

"I did see that on the way to work." She added. Looking over at Cory she asked him under her breath, "Should we let a 5 year old see that?" Cory raised his eyebrows at her, not understanding the question.

"He's not a newborn, Topanga; of course he can see that. We let him see The Avengers, and I'm pretty sure Chitty Chittty Bang Bang isn't as bad as that was."

A man in a chef's outfit came out of the back of the restaurant, almost in a hurry. He quickly placed everyone's drinks on the table, bowed slightly, and disappeared.

Topanga shook her head in agreement, but then stopped. "I didn't let him see The Avengers." Cory shrugged his shoulders with a smile. Topanga glared at Cory. She looked back at Nathan, who was still waiting for an answer. "Of course you can see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Nathan smiled and looked back at Shawn.

"Will you come with us?" Nathan asked Shawn. Shawn looked down at Nathan, then back up at Topanga. She shook her head 'yes'.

He looked back down at Nathan while saying, "I'll come with you to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." Nathan shook his head in agreement.

Shawn looked towards the door, and noticed the waiter carrying out their food. "Here's your food," he said enthusiastically. He sat down Shawn's plate, Nathans, Topanga's, and stopped at Cory. "Are you ready to order, sir?"

Cory shook his head 'yes' while saying, "I'll have the same thing as him," he pointed at Shawn's food. The waiter smiled while disappearing into the back of the restaurant once again.

Everyone ate their food fairly quickly. Nathan was the first one to finish his plate. Sitting in his seat, he stared at Shawn. 'I wonder how this guy and dad met.' He thought to himself. He looked at his father and said abruptly, "How did you and Shawn meet?"

Cory was half way from putting a California Roll in his mouth when Nathan asked him that question. "What?" he said.

Nathan rolled his eyes and said again, "How did you and Shawn meet." Cory shook his head up and down understanding what he said.

He sat up and wiped his mouth while saying, "We knew each other for a really long time. We only became friends in elementary school." He paused for a little bit, remembering how he met Shawn.

He began to tell the story."The class took a field trip to the zoo. Most of the kids were hanging around the rhino pit. I decided to be a show off, so I stood on the edge of the pit. Topanga scolded at me. 'Cory, get down you'll hurt yourself.' Me, being myself, I didn't get down. I fell into the rhino pit, causing a ruckus. Shawn noticed that I fell in, so he acted like a hero and drug me out. We got back out of the pit, having the teacher to scold us. 'You saved me,' I said. 'Yeah I did,' answered Shawn. I gave him a hug, and he returned it." He laughed a little bit before he continued. "Then I remember Topanga cringing at us while she said, 'Stop it you're boys.'"

Shawn and Topanga stared at Cory in awe. "I can't believe you remembered that," Shawn said, shifting in his seat.

Topanga brushed hair from her face while replying with, "I didn't even remember that. Are you sure that's how you met, Cory?"

Shawn leaned his chair back and said, "That is how we met. Not a single word missed." Nathan looked at Shawn, then at Cory, then at Topanga. He nudged Shawn, getting his attention.

"Is that how you really met each other?!" Nathan said, whispering louder than he intended. Shawn looked at him, then at Cory.

"Uh, yeah." Shawn said in a cocky tone of voice. Nathan gave Shawn a weird look before falling back into his seat. "Are we done here?" he asked impatiently. Cory looked down at his watch, and noticed it was 7 o'clock.

"Oh gosh, we need to go Topanga." He stood up, letting Topanga follow.

She held up her credit card and said, "I'm gonna go pay, so wait for me outside with Nathan." Cory nodded and took Nathan outside with him. Shawn followed Topanga to the cashier, pulling out his card, ready to pay. "Cory really missed you , and I hope you realized that." Shawn looked over at Topanga, startled at what she said.

"What?" he asked.

Topanga averted her attention to the cash register and said, "You heard me. Not coming with us really hurt Cory."

Shawn rolled his eyes while saying, "I know. I should've at least talked to Cory about it, but I was afraid I would hold Cory back from doing stuff."

Topanga raised an eyebrow, confused at what he said. "How?" she asked.

Shawn motioned outside to Nathan. "If I was up here 5 years ago, you two would've never had Nathan. I know Cory, he wouldn't do something like that on purpose if I was around." Topanga looked outside, noticing that Cory was swinging Nathan around like he was a rag doll.

She tensed up from his statement, but then settled down. "You're probably right. Cory would've flocked to you all the time if you were up here with us earlier." Looking back at Shawn, who was now paying his bill, she touched his shoulder. "Would it be bad to say that it was a good thing you didn't come with us?"

Shawn smiled and hugged Topanga. "It's a bad thing to say, but it's true. I'm sort of glad I didn't come with you." Shawn looked down at Topanga, who looked worried. He gave her a giant hug, lifting her off the ground in the process. She grunted, but laughed at Shawn.

He let her go and placed her gently on the ground. She rubbed his shoulder, telling him that it was ok. "Come on; let's go back to the house." Shawn nodded while following Topanga out the door. She was a good few feet ahead of him, so she got out the door faster. He quickly opened the door, but he hit someone who was trying to come in.

"Ow!" they said, holding their forehead with their hand.

Shawn's jaw dropped. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" he said. He stood their trying to gently guide the person into the restaurant.

The person tried to wave him away, but Shawn wasn't going to leave. "I'm fine sir, just let me sit down." Shawn guided them to a table and sat the person down. The person lowered their hand, to reveal a woman. She looked at Shawn. Shawn looked at her. "Hey," she said. "I know you."

Shawn looked at her some more, and finally recognized her. "Hey, I know you to," he said, "You were the girl who dropped her plant from next door."

She sighed, putting her hand down onto the table. "You caught me," she said, sarcastically.

"Shawn!" Shawn looked up to see Cory standing in the doorway, staring at him. "We need to go." Shawn looked at the girl, and back at Cory.

"Um, Cor, just go without me. I'll come back later." He was glancing at the both of them while he hesitantly said this. Cory rolled his eyes and left the restaurant, disappearing into the taxi cab.

"Where's Shawn?" Topanga asked.

Cory threw his hands up while saying, "He's coming back to the house later." Topanga and Cory rolled their eyes together while the taxi sped off down the road.

Shawn looked back at the girl, who was now looking at her forehead with a compact mirror. "I'm really sorry. Can I make it up to you in any sort of way?" Shawn pleaded. The woman sighed and forcefully put the mirror onto the table.

"You're not going to stop are you?" she asked. Shawn shrugged his shoulders and didn't say anything. She ran her fingers through her thick curly locks before picking up the menu, trying to avoid Shawn.

"I'm Shawn by the way," he said, trying to strike up a conversation. The woman didn't answer back.

A full minute passed without saying anything. She finally decided to tell Shawn her name. "…..Rebecca. Call me Morgan." She said. Shawn's head shot up.

"Well then, hello Rebecca." Shawn said. He had a flirtatious tone to his voice and it angered Morgan.

"I said, call me Morgan." She snapped. Shawn put his hand above his hand, surrendering to her tone of voice. She picked her compact mirror up and looked at the bruise now forming on her forehead. "Just, great." She said under her breath. Shawn gently pushed her hand out of the way to get a better look at her bruise.

"Ouch," he said, "That looks painful." Morgan gave him the look of 'Nah der Sherlock'. He stood up, startling Morgan. "Fine." He said.

She stood up and asked. "What's fine?"

He raised his hands, surrendering to her. "Since you don't want my help, I'll just leave." She stood there, dumbfounded. Shawn opened the door, and stopped. He looked back to her, flashing the lost puppy look. She frowned.

He got half way out the door before he heard something hard hit the table. "Get your butt back in here," she said.


End file.
